Coherence therapy does not prevent axial bone loss in osteoporotic women: a preliminary comparative study

Coherence therapy, also known as ADFR (activate, depress, free, repeat) therapy, has been proposed as a new form of treatment for osteoporosis. We compared the effects of this therapy with those of gonadal steroid and calcium and of calcium alone in 93 osteoporotic women. Thirty women were treated for 1 yr with ADFR, in the form of K-phosphate (1.5 g/day), for 3 days followed by etidronate, (400 mg/day) for 14 days, followed by 8 weeks of neither drug, plus continuous calcium carbonate therapy (1 g/day). Thirty-six women received conjugated estrogens (0.625 mg/day) for 25 days/month plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (10 mg/day) for 10 days/month and calcium, while 27 women received calcium carbonate (500 mg, twice daily). Sixteen women in the ADFR group, 15 in the calcium group, and 19 in the hormone-calcium group completed 2 yrs of treatment. Spinal bone mineral density was measured by single energy quantitative computerized tomography (QCT) and in the proximal and distal radius by single energy photon absorptiometry. The 3 groups were similar in age, initial bone mass, years since menopause, and dietary calcium intake. After 2 yrs, the mean women in the ADFR therapy group had a mean reduction of 8.0% in spinal QCT (P less than 0.05), and no change in proximal radius mineral content/bone width (BMC), and distal radius BMC. The group treated with calcium only had a decrease of 3.8% in QCT (P less than 0.05), of 5.6% in proximal BMC (P less than 0.05), and of 4.9% in distal BMC (P less than 0.05). The group treated with hormonal replacement and calcium had no change in any of their measurements. The relative bone loss in the spine at the end of the study was greater in the ADFR group than in the hormone-calcium group (P less than 0.05). Bone loss in the calcium group was slightly but not significantly greater than that in the hormone group and lower than that in the ADFR group. In conclusion, these preliminary results indicate that the ADFR regimen using phosphate and etidronate in doses of 1.5 g/day for 3 days and 400 mg/day for 14 days, respectively, is not as effective as hormonal replacement in preventing trabecular bone loss in osteoporosis, nor it is any more effective than calcium supplementation alone.